FC Express 4 - trade-offs?

I am a FC 4.5 user who started using an HD camera. If I go to FC Express 4 so I can see my footage I am downgrading in some respects and losing some elements. Does anyone have some experience with this situation? FC Studio is a whole lot more expensive and has more than I might utilize.

Hi Bonnie,

It sounds like it probably would be a good solution for you, providing that the flavor of HD you are going to be using is nothing higher than HDV & using Apple Intermediate Codec is good enough for your needs. Its only $199 & includes LiveType 2.

Don't sell your FCP 4.5 as you might find out down the road you get some work where you need the whole shebang& you'll be able to upgrade rather painlessly.

All the best.

Dave

I haven't done much work with Express- but I do remember having to edit a short project on it after being accustomed to FCP, and it was frustrating. I'd suggest seeing if you could use someone else's copy of Express, seeing if you run into anythings you can't do, and then deciding if any frustration you feel at first will be worth it.

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www.JamesNWeber.com - Socially Aware Media

and introducing-
www.FCPTutorials.com - One source for all Final Cut Tutorials

May I ask what you found frustrating in the application?

I used Express regularly for rough cuts on a (non Intel) Powerbook before upgrading the laptop. No real problems starting a project in Express and completing in Pro, but there are some features Express lacks. Ones that I recall:
<li> Titles/generators were not as flexible (and seemed to render less well)
<li> Less control over audio
<li> No import from video disk units/P2 cards etc. As we use a Sony VDU this was a major limitation. If your workflow is tape-based it's irrelevant.
<li> You can transfer from Express to Pro with ease but doing the other way can be troublesome.

Stephen

It was 3 years ago, so I don't quite remember the specifics, more the feeling. Also, I was pretty new to Final Cut Pro as well, so there may have been workarounds I wasn't aware of at the time.
So while I can't point to specific issues I had, I would still suggest that bonniebiker try it out before sinking money either way.

----
www.JamesNWeber.com - Socially Aware Media

and introducing-
www.FCPTutorials.com - One source for all Final Cut Tutorials

Strange, the titling and generators are identically. Obviously you can't render in high res formats as the application doesn't support that.

There is no mixer, but the other audio functions and filters should be the same. There is no STP of course, but the product is $200.

There is no support for P2 or other professional HD formats.

There is not supposed to be any way to take a project from Pro to Express, though in reality there are workarounds that will work for most things.

If you export as a self contained QT movie from FCP it will open in FCE. I've handed off one before and it worked.

Michael Horton
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Oh sure, that'll work. It's just a QuickTime file. It's the project files that aren't supposed to work.

Have you tried it? Might be cool to know. I don't have FCE

Michael Horton
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Depends on the project. A real simple project of DV media in the browser will open. Most won't work. But you can export XML and open it in FCE.

also I had some issues exchanging files between FCE and FCP where one version of the software was older/newer than the other.
On titles, the version of FCE I was using didn't have Boris, though the current one does. The standard generators should be the same but for some reason, weren't. Not sure why, and Apple couldn't figure it either. The workround was to create them as Photoshop files or finish the project in Pro.

The copy you were using was not properly installed. Every version of FCE has had Calligraphy just as it's in FCP. The standard generators are the same as well. The current version has the same generators as FCP6, except for maybe some color bars. The newer/older version problem is the same that exists with FCP. The application has never been backwards compatible.

Bonnie has FCP 4.5 on her system. If anyone can remember using it a few years back it was a pretty decent version of the software. For the price of a plug in she gets FCE, Boris Calligraphy & Livetype. Meets the NLE editing needs of a great many people who a currently running FCP.

Now she has 2 licenses, one for FCP & one for FCE. As each new upgrade appears she decide whether she wants to upgrade to FCS 3 at half a grand a pop or upgrade to FCE 5 at $99, or simply do likemany of us & upgrade both.

Dave